Is Femvertising A Reality Or Myth In Indian Television Advertising? – A Review

DOI: 10.5176/2301-3710_JMComm17.78

Authors: Ms. Neema Varghese, Dr Navin Kumar

Abstract: The second decade of the new millennium saw many companies consciously moving to what pro-woman advocates and ad enthusiasts call ‘femvertising’, a term coined during Advertising Week and popularized through SheKnows Media that launched Femvertising awards to honour brands that created “pro-woman” and “stereotype-busting” ads. The purpose of this paper was to explore the existing conversation about a rising trend in advertising that talks directly about women’s issues, projects women’s power and annihilates conventional gender norms especially gender roles; and to see whether Indian ads are following suit. The selected ads were all from different brands and they were popular and readily available and shared on the internet, accentuating the effect of television advertising. The critical review was carried out for the selected ad on three dimensions of female protagonist, stereotype-bust and challenging gender-norms. The result is clear, and can be read in tandem with the conversations happening in the digital space (#femvertising), Indian brands are embracing femvertising. The study will help by drawing attention to research scope on femvertising and in supporting studies that examines the use of stereotype-busting or counter stereotypical themes in Indian advertising and its effects.